Titanic: How To Save A Life
by Ms. Cailin-alainn
Summary: When Heather is transported to 1912 to save her uncle, Thomas Andrews, on the night Titanic is sinking & bring him with her to the year 2012, she finds she's successful—but she sadly discovers that tragedy can not escape the Titanic shipbuilder anywhere.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: When Heather Andrews, great niece of Thomas Andrews, is magically transported to the year 1912 to save her uncle, Thomas Andrews, on the night Titanic is sinking and bring him with her to the year 2012, she finds she's successful—but she sadly discovers that absolute heartache & tragedy can not escape the Titanic shipbuilder, no matter where he goes.

Heather Andrews was the great niece of Titanic shipbuilder, Thomas Andrews, and it was a few weeks before his birthday. As she watching the last scenes of Titanic, she clicked off her television and drifted to sleep. She was unaware of what she was about to experience next.

~ April 14 1912 ~

Heather found herself swimming around the completely flooded first class dining room, her long, black dress, soaked with water. She looked all around her confusingly. Where was she? She then heard slight crying, it wasn't a loud sound but it was in hearing range. As Heather looked to her left, she saw, Thomas Andrews, her uncle, with his silky, black hair with hints of gray in it, slicked down to his head with wetness, he was completely drenched in wetness. He was on top of a floating dining room table, staring down at large, rushing water floating under the table. He was slightly trembling as big tears clouded his eyes. He held a look of extreme fear. Heather gasped upon seeing him. She couldn't believe this! How could she see him! Did her wish come true? The wish she made of her wanting to go back in time and save her uncle from death, did it actually come true? Heather wasn't sure, all she knew was that at this moment, she was looking at her uncle, Thomas Andrews, who was afraid, apparently cold, wet and on the verge of drowning and dying. She had to rescue him. She quickly rushed through the waters over to him.

"Uncle Thomas!" Heather called out.

Andrews looked up at her with his eyes clouded with tears, the look of fear on his face. He looked at her with confusion. Of course he would, Heather thought, he doesn't even know of me yet. I was born WAY after his death. Heather shook her head and frowned.

"Mr. Andrews," Heather decided to call him, to make herself sound more—logical to him. "Mr. Andrews, give me your hand! I'm getting you out of here!"

Andrews shook his head quickly and frowned as tears streamed.

"No! No I can't!" Andrews said through tears. "I—I have to stay and go down with the creation I built! I—I can't leave, I—I have to die!"

"NO!" Heather yelled, her heart breaking at seeing him so in despair. "Please, PLEASE come with me, Mr. Andrews. Please! Please!"

"NO!" Andrews shouted through tears. "I CAN'T! I have to die! Its my fault this ship is sinking!"

Heather looked down and frowned. Tears filled her eyes. She knew she had only one other tactic to try to get him to leave with her –Lie.

"Mr. Andrews, the Captain, he's looking for you!" Heather said, hoping Andrews would believe her.

Andrews stared at her with confusion. He wasn't sure if she were telling the truth or not, but Heather was lucky that at that moment, he believed her.

"Please COME with me, Mr. Andrews." Heather said with urgency.

Andrews stared down at the water and briefly closed his eyes as tears streamed and looked back up at Heather and quickly extended his hand to her and as he did, he accidentally fell off the table and into the water. He gasped loudly as Heather quickly rushed closer to him and held him up out of the water.

"Just let me die here, please." Andrews said in a low, tearful voice.

"No, Mr. Andrews, I won't." Heather said tearfully. "I can't. I have to get you out of here—somehow." 

Yes now that Heather had successfully saved Andrews from dying, she did have to get him off the sinking ship, but how? How would she get back to 2012 from where they were?


	2. Chapter 2

Almost instantly, Heather found herself and Andrews in the living room of Heather's home. Andrews looked all around him with confused, wet, tearful eyes.

"Where—where are we?" Andrews asked in a low, tearful voice. "How did we get here?"

Heather looked all around the room with wide eyes and the same thought in mind. How DID they get from the Titanic's dining room in 1912, back to her living room in 2012? Heather hadn't a clue.

"I—I don't know," Heather replied as she looked at Andrews and placed her hands on his wet, shoulders. "But the good thing is you're ok, you're away from Titanic now."

Andrews looked at her with an angry frown as more light tears clouded his eyes.

"Wh-what? We're WERE!" Andrews asked in a tearful voice.

Heather frowned and shook her head, she was confused. Shouldn't he be happy and relieved?

"I said you're away from danger now." Heather replied. "You're off Titanic."

Andrews began backing away from Heather, while looking in complete shock and hurt.

"No, no." Andrews said in a low, tearful voice. "No, NO! I—I was supposed to go down with the ship! I—I have to go back and—and save more people—help people—no!"

Heather looked at him with sympathy. She walked closer to him, but he backed away quickly again.

"Mr. Andrews, you CAN'T die on there." Heather said with emotion. "People NEED you here, your family, your parents, friends."

Andrews looked down and scoffed as he broke into light tears. Hurt was expressed all over his face.

"No, what did you do?" Andrews said in a low voice between tears. "I—I can't live when everyone else is dying. I—I can't!"

"But Mr. Andrews why not!" Heather argued. "Ismay did it!"

Andrews looked up at her with a surprised and confused look. He hadn't even dreamed, thought or even known about the fact that Ismay left the sinking ship, especially when it was HIS fault the ship was sinking. Heather laughed nervously.

"Uh, I mean, so I think." Heather lied.

Heather sighed, briefly closed her eyes and frowned.

"Mr. Andrews, PLEASE-"

"NO!" Andrews yelled with anger, through tears. "I—want to go back there NOW! I HAVE to go down with Titanic, its my ship, its my fault!"

Heather sucked her teeth and walked over to Andrews and tried to console him with a hug, but he roughly and angrily pushed her away and stormed out the room, towards one of the back rooms. Heather would've have been worried about him going off by himself in a house he knew nothing about, but since she knew that he was going away to one of the bedrooms in the back, she knew she hadn't need to worry about that. However what she was worried about was Andrews and his current emotional and mental condition. It was clear that Andrews wanted nothing more but to die on the ship he built, but Heather didn't know this. It was because of her subconscious that she was able to travel back in time to where her uncle Thomas Andrews was and bring him back to 2012, and it would be that very act that would bring nothing but ultimate sorrow and tragedy for both her and Andrews, for as long as he remained in the year 2012…..


	3. Chapter 3

Heather was amazed that she was able to get Andrews to let her take his wet clothes and put them in the dryer to put back on, at least he let her do that much. As he was in one of the back rooms putting his dry clothes back on, Heather had enough time to call up her best friend, actor Victor Garber to come over and to help her deal with this issue. Victor and Heather had become great friends after James Cameron introduced Heather to Victor after the premiere of Titanic in 1997. As Andrews walked back out into the living room and looked at her briefly with a look of anger.

"I want to go BACK to Titanic NOW and go down with the ship." Andrews said with anger filling his voice.

Andrews looked at Victor with an eyebrow raised. Victor shook his head and frowned slightly as he looked at Andrews.

"You actually were telling the truth." Victor said with a disappointed tone. "I can NOT believe you."

"WELL, I didn't do it on purpose." Heather squealed.

Andrews stared at Victor with a confused frown.

"You-you look familiar to me," Andrews said. "Why is that?"

Victor rolled his eyes at Heather and walked over to Andrews and placed a hand on his shoulder. Andrews looked at his shoulder and at Victor as if to say "what are you doing?" Victor could tell Andrews was already annoyed because of being taken away from dying.

"Mr. Andrews, my name is Victor Garber." Victor said lightly. "I-I don't know why we look familiar to you." Victor lied. "Um, tell me, why did Heather bring you back here?"

Andrews looked down and shook his head with sorrowful look.

"I don't know, but I want to go back." Andrews said as tears began to fill in his voice. "I can never live knowing that others died because of my mistake."

"It wasn't your fault though, Mr. Andrews!" Heather said with full emotion.

Victor looked at Heather and gave her a angry stare.

"You know what, why don't let me handle this right now, ok?" Victor said coldly. "You've done enough already."

"And it **IS** my fault!" Andrews said tearfully, as tears clouded his eyes. "I didn't build a strong enough ship!"

Andrews then looked away and partially covered his face as he broke into severe tears. Victor stared at him with a sympathetic look. Victor looked back at Heather and frowned.

"This man is emotionally broken," Victor said seriously. "I mean, he's emotionally damaged, Heather. You CAN'T keep him here."

"No, but he can't die on that ship Victor!" Heather yelled with emotion. "He-"

"HEATHER!" Victor loudly interrupted. "This is WRONG! Can't you see that! He's hurting!"

Andrews yanked away from Victor lightly and walked over to a large circular table in the corner of the room, grabbed a napkin off the table and wiped his tears away, only to have more to come.

Victor sighed and shook his head as he walked over and sat at the table across from Andrews. He reached out and took hold of Andrew's hand, it was still cold from the waters he was in on the ship. Victor stared at Andrews with sympathy.

"Mr. Andrews, one thing Heather is right about. It wasn't your fault. You're in the year 2012. You've been brought to the future here and in the future, there have been plenty of research to show that the sinking was NOT your fault."

Andrews looked at Victor, with his wet, tearful eyes.

"How-how do you know that?" Andrews said in a low, slightly shaky voice.

Victor sighed and shrugged.

"I just know, please trust me when I say it was NOT your fault, Mr. Andrews." Victor said.

Andrews shook his head and frowned as he wiped streaming tears away.

"Still I need to go down with the ship." Andrews said tearfully. "It would be cowardly for me to have lived when others died-no, NO its wrong. I-I can't!"

"Yes but Mr. Andrews," Victor replied, "it's-"

"NO!" Andrews said loudly through tears, before getting up and storming out the room again.

Victor sighed and sat back in his chair and frowned.

"Heather, seriously this was a bad damn idea." Victor said in a scolding tone.

Heather sat down in the chair beside Victor and frowned with sadness.

"I just wanted to save him." Heather said with sadness. "Besides, I had no idea when I went to sleep that I'd travel back to the ship and see him, but since I did, I wanted to save him. He's my uncle for Christ's sake."

Victor nodded and blinked repeatedly.

"Yes but your "UNCLE" wants to die, Heather." Victor said. "He doesn't want to live anymore."

Heather sucked her teeth and briefly smirked.

"Oh that's not true, he's just home sick or-something." Heather said lightly.

Victor frowned angrily at her.

"Home sick, no, he's NOT home sick, he's DEATH sick, Heather." Victor said strongly. "He wants to die and if you keep him here against his will, you're only going to subject him to more hurt and pain than he ever would have felt being on the sinking Titanic and drowning in the cold, icy waters."


	4. Chapter 4

It was about twenty minutes later when Victor and Heather went into the room that Andrews had went in, they saw he was lying asleep on the bed in the room. Heather walked over and covered him with a wool, knitted blanket she had made herself. She walked back over to Victor and looked at him with sad, tearful eyes.

"I just want him to be ok." Heather said sadly.

Victor stared at her and nodded with a compassionate look. He hugged her warmly as tears clouded her eyes.

"I love my uncle so much, Victor." Heather said through tears.

"I know you do, Heather." Victor said as he continued to hug her. "Does he know you're his niece?"

Heather shook her head as she pulled away from Victor.

"No he doesn't." Heather said tearfully, as she wiped streaming tears away. "I haven't told him yet."

Victor nodded as she ushered her out of the room Andrews was in, and they walked back out to the living room.

"Maybe you should," Victor replied. "He should know who you are, then maybe he'll understand why you took him from the ship because right now, he seems PRETTY angry with you."

Heather sighed and frowned slightly.

"I know, I know." Heather said as she looked at Victor with an eyebrow raised. "Its that obvious?"

Victor scoffed and briefly smirked.

"Of course it is," Victor said. "I spent months and I mean MONTHS studying Thomas Andrews before playing him in Titanic, I learned his mannerisms, his moods-everything, so I can tell when he's angry and trust me, he's angry with you."

Heather looked down at the floor with sadness.

"I just wanted to help." Heather replied sadly.

Victor nodded.

"I know you did, and I know you thought you were helping, but you have to understand, Mr. Andrews is a man that-"

Victor sighed and frowned slightly.

"Well he's a man that is hurting very badly." Victor continued. "He thinks the sinking was his fault no matter what you nor I tell him. He feels responsible for the deaths of those on Titanic. He's a person who cares, truly cares about everyone and so no matter what you nor I say, we can't change history, we have to let him take his place IN history-as the hero who went down with the ship he built."

Heather looked away as tears clouded her eyes again. Victor turned her head to face him.

"Hey, don't feel sad though." Victor said with sympathy. "He's not dying-a coward, he's dying a hero, a man who is celebrated year after year for the great ship he built, no matter if it sank or not. That's a great thing, ok?"

Heather nodded as tears streamed, Victor sucked his teeth, and quickly hugged her close.

"It will be alright, Heather, really." Victor said."Maybe we can somehow-CONVINCE him to stay here, we'll see."

Victor sighed as he pulled away from her.

Suddenly, they heard loud shouting from one of the back rooms, quickly Victor and Heather got up and ran out the living room, towards one of the back rooms. The screaming was coming from the room Andrews was in and as they ran in, they saw Andrews, turning his head from side to side while asleep, he was severely crying and yelling loudly.

"No! Come back to the ship!" Andrews yelled tearfully through his sleep. "No come back! No wait! Wait for a boat! No! No!"

Victor frowned and briefly closed his eyes.

"Good God, the guy's having a nightmare." Victor said.

Heather frowned with heartbreak.

"Oh no!" Heather said as she ran over to the bed and to Andrews.

Immediately Heather began shaking Andrews to awaken, she shook him repeatedly and on the fourth shake, he awakened and sat up with a loud gasp and looked at her and Victor with wet, tearful eyes, his face frowned with horror, fear and hurt. He looked all around the room.

"I-I was dreaming," Andrews said with a tearful voice. "I was dreaming of being on titanic and people were screaming and-and-crying and some were jumping from the ship and it-it was horrible and-and I-I-"

Andrews frowned deeply and quickly shook his head as more tears clouded his eyes.

"Oh God, it was HORRIBLE!" Andrews said through tears, before covering his face with his hands and breaking into loud, severe tears.

Heather quickly hugged Andrews close in her arms as she looked at Victor with sad and shocked eyes. Victor stared at her briefly with a troubled and worried frown, before looking away and briefly closing his eyes and sighing. Both Heather and Victor knew this was bad, this was very bad. Not only was Andrews grieving from wanting to die and from being taken off his sinking ship, but now he was having terrible nightmares about the sinking. What was Heather going to do? She wanted him to stay with her in 2012, but how could she keep him there when not only did he have a wish to die, but when he was now being plagued with horrific nightmares of the sinking? Heather was in a real dilemma...


	5. How To Save A Life

_"Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend, somewhere along in the bitterness_

_and I would've stayed up with you all night, had I known, how to save a life."_

_ ~~ 'How To Save A Life' ~ The Fray_

* * *

><p>Heather fixed Andrews a cup of coffee, while Andrews sat at the dining room table quietly thinking, and trying to mentally and emotionally calm down from the horrific nightmare he had about Titanic. Victor had to leave however, he was scheduled to be on set for his television show in less than an hour and so he had to leave ASAP, but he promised he'd be back later. That was somewhat comforting to Heather. Victor was one of Heather's best friends. Andrews took the cup of hot coffee that Heather gave to him and stared into it with an empty but saddened expression. Heather sat at the table on the left side of him and sighed with a slight frown.<p>

"Mr. Andrews, I-I need to tell you something." Heather said in a light tone of voice.

Andrews shrugged silently, while keeping the same sad sighed again and blinked repeatedly.

"Mr. Andrews, I'm your niece." Heather said with slight hesitance. "You probably don't know me, no I'm sure you don't because I wasn't born until after you died in the past, on Titanic, but you're in the future now and-I'm your niece."

Andrews looked at her with an eyebrow raised and a slight look of surprise.

"You're my niece? Re-really?" Andrews asked in a low voice.

Heather nodded with a worried expression.

"That's why I went back in time and saved you from dying." Heather said. "I-I just couldn't stand there and watch you die. You're my uncle and I love you."

Heather looked down as tears clouded her eyes. Andrews stared at her with complete sympathy. He frowned slightly and slowly reached out and took hold of her hand. He then moved closer to her and wiped the streaming tears from her hugged her warmly and she hugged him back, trying to hold back more tears that were fighting to flow from her eyes.

"Heather, I had no idea I even had a niece." Andrews said in a low voice. "In 1912, my sister hadn't even married yet, but now in this-future, I see she obviously has married and she had you."

Heather slightly pushed him away and looked at him with tear-filled eyes.

"I don't want you to-"

"I HAVE to go back, Heather." Andrews said in a low voice.

Heather looked at Andrews and frowned with sadness.

"But why?" Heather asked tearfully. "Why do you want to die? Why can't you stay here and live?"

Andrews looked down, sighed and frowned.

"Because if I did, I would never be able to live with myself, Heather." Andrews said in a low, light toned voice. "Its my ship, my creation and I watched her be born and so I have to stay and watch her and be with her as she dies. Its my duty. If I stay, I'll be forever haunted by my guilt and I can't do that. I can't live like that. I'm sorry Heather."

Heather looked down and broke into light tears.

"But I'll never see you again," Heather said in between tears. "And I love you."

Andrews frowned deeply with sympathy and gently touched the side of Heather's face, wiping streaming tears away. Light tears filled his eyes.

"You might not ever see me again, but I'll always be with you, young Heather, I will." Andrews said in a low, warm tone.

He hugged her warmly and she hugged him back.

"I love you Heather, and I appreciate you trying to save me, but the best way to save me is by letting me go back and letting history take its course. That's the only way to save my life, is by letting me go back."

Heather nodded as she released Andrews from the hug. She stood up and took his hand into hers and he stood up.

Suddenly he saw a bright, white lightened portal open in front of him and Heather. He stared at the portal with awe and as if he were in an almost hypnotized state. The light was glowing beautifully.

"My goodness, that light is bright, is that to take me back to Titanic?" Andrews asked as he stared at the light endlessly.

Heather knew what the light was for. The light would not only take him back to Titanic, to carry out the action of him going down with the ship, but Heather knew that after his death, the light would transport him to heaven, where he belonged. She smiled faintly as she looked at him with light tears and nodded.

"Yes, back to Titanic and much more." Heather said lightly, with a slightly tearful voice.

Andrews nodded with a sympathetic and almost somber frown, as he finally turned and looked at her. As Heather was about to walk closer over to the light, Andrews grabbed her arm and lightly pulled her back to him. He opened her hand and placed his golden pocket watch that had a golden chain attached to it. Heather looked down at it, frowned and looked back up at him.

"Your golden pocket watch." Heather said with slight confusion filling her voice.

Andrews nodded, still with the same, somber, sympathetic frown.

"Yes, I want you to have it, to remember me by. Every time you look at it, remember I'm with you, alright?"

Heather nodded as she quickly hugged him again warmly and he hugged her back.

* * *

><p>~ 4:15 a.m. ~<p>

Heather awakened with a gasp on her sofa in the living room, her face slightly glistened with perspiration. She looked all around the dark living room, she looked left and right but saw she was alone. Did she dream the entire ordeal with Andrews and Victor? She had to, she thought to herself.

"Uncle Thomas?" Heather called out as she looked all around the room. "Uncle Thomas?"

Heather realized Andrews was not in the room, nor the house with her, he was gone. As she sat up on the sofa, she began to feel sadness, hurt, grief. If it all wasn't a dream, then he truly HAD returned back to the ship and he had died with it. Tears filled her eyes and she was seconds away from breaking into tears, until she looked down and saw that in her hand was the golden pocket watch that belonged to him. She frowned with surprise. It WAS real, she didn't dream it, it HAD actually happened. She had went back in time and rescued her uncle, Thomas Andrews and brought him to the future with her, thinking she was saving his life, only she realized that the only true way to save his life was to let him go, because for her to truly love her uncle, Thomas Andrews, she HAD to let him go. Heather smiled as she clutched the pocket watch close to her heart. The sadness, and grief she felt instantly melted away the second she felt the pocket watch on her heart, because she knew that even though Andrews had died, he was in a heavenly place of eternal rest and more so, she knew that even though he died on Titanic, he would always be with her. Going back in time to save her uncle, Thomas Andrews, would forever be special to her, because she was not only given the chance to meet Thomas Andrews and spend a few moments with him, but, most importantly, her uncle, Thomas Andrews, taught her the TRUE way of how to save a life...

THE END...


End file.
